Travel Tips for Charlotte, NC: ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Charlotte Wikitravel Website:http://wikitravel.org/en/Charlotte North Carolina Wikitravel Website:http://wikitravel.org/en/North_Carolina
Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT)
Ranking: Number nine in the U.S. and number 24 in the world, with 41.2 million passengers. Location: About seven miles west of the city center, with numerous nearby hotel accommodations. Major Airlines: Charlotte Douglas is the main hub for US Airways, with about 71 percent of the airport's total passengers. Most other big lines operate flights from Charlotte Douglas to their hubs. Presently, Charlotte Douglas' main international services are on Star Alliance partners, chiefly Lufthansa, but the probable merger with American will likely bring a big shift. Layout: The airfield has three parallel runways and one at a different orientation. Passenger facilities are concentrated into a single large terminal. Easy all-inside security connections may involve long walks. Performance: 83 percent of departures and 82 percent of arrivals are on time, the average departure delay is 58 minutes and arrival delay is 49 minutes, and cancellations are at 1.2 percent. Ground Transportation: Charlotte Douglas has no rail access, but express bus service reaches downtown in about 25 minutes ($2). The metered taxi fare downtown is about $25. Numerous shuttles serve downtown (about $22) and surrounding communities. Alternate Regional Airports: Allegiant recently started service to Concord Regional Airport (JQF), about 30 miles northeast of Charlotte, with flights to Orlando.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Mike Summers - October 2010:
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- George Hobica - November 2013: If you're in Charlotte (CLT) on a layover for a US Air flight across the Atlantic, here's some ideas for things to do between your flights:
Short (1-4 hours): Free wireless, outlets and rocking chairs in the Atrium area of the terminal – where all concourses converge – are the ultimate free chill-out spot; also here is a giant US Airways Club, which you can book in advance for $29 or $50 on the spot. Or, take that money and spend it on wine (North Carolina only) at Yadkin Valley Wine Bar, or BBQ at Brookwood Farms. Long (4 hours or more): The US National Whitewater Center is a short cab ride ($26, 20 min) away, $5 gets you parking and free access to 20 miles of trails along the Catawba River and a ringside seat to all kinds of action. Prefer the indoors? Taxi over ($26, 15 min) to TEN Park Lanes, a fab bowling alley serving good drinks gourmet southern eats all day, everyday. Very long (overnight):Uptown is a $25 flat fee cab ride from the airport. Nosh your way through the growing 7th Street Public Market, open every day, check out the Bechtler Museum of Modern Art or the central campus of the Mint Museum, a temple to craft and design. For dinner, hit Dandelion Market, a dark pub that's actually a cool American tapas bar. Overnight at the great-value Hyatt House (from $101). More info: Read Airfare Watchdog's list of 10 reasons we love CLT.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Charlotte Wikitravel Website: http://wikitravel.org/en/Charlotte
North Carolina Wikitravel Website: http://wikitravel.org/en/North_Carolina
Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT)
Ranking: Number nine in the U.S. and number 24 in the world, with 41.2 million passengers.
Location: About seven miles west of the city center, with numerous nearby hotel accommodations.
Major Airlines: Charlotte Douglas is the main hub for US Airways, with about 71 percent of the airport's total passengers. Most other big lines operate flights from Charlotte Douglas to their hubs. Presently, Charlotte Douglas' main international services are on Star Alliance partners, chiefly Lufthansa, but the probable merger with American will likely bring a big shift.
Layout: The airfield has three parallel runways and one at a different orientation. Passenger facilities are concentrated into a single large terminal. Easy all-inside security connections may involve long walks.
Performance: 83 percent of departures and 82 percent of arrivals are on time, the average departure delay is 58 minutes and arrival delay is 49 minutes, and cancellations are at 1.2 percent.
Ground Transportation: Charlotte Douglas has no rail access, but express bus service reaches downtown in about 25 minutes ($2). The metered taxi fare downtown is about $25. Numerous shuttles serve downtown (about $22) and surrounding communities.
Alternate Regional Airports: Allegiant recently started service to Concord Regional Airport (JQF), about 30 miles northeast of Charlotte, with flights to Orlando.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mike Summers - October 2010:
My wife had a conference in Charlotte so I took a US Air flight from Denver. Charlotte is a nice city to visit (Airport Website:
( http://charlottedouglasintlairport.com/index.shtml ). We rented a car, but you can take the Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) for $2.00 from the airport to the city by way of Route #5 (CATS Website: http://charmeck.org/city/charlotte/cats/Bus/Pages/default.aspx ) and CATS Route #5 Map and Schedule:
http://charmeck.org/city/charlotte/cats/Bus/routes/Pages/default.aspx . We mainly stuck around downtown (Downtown Map:
http://mapsof.net/map/charlotte-downtown-map-city-center ), but here's a list of attractions in the area: http://www.charlottesgotalot.com/attractions-tours-listings . We did check out the Heist Brewery for dinner (Website: http://heistbrewery.com/ ); they had a satisfying Hefeweizen. The Gin Mill was a nice sports bar with a good food selection (Website: http://ginmillcharlotte.com/ ). We also visited the Epicenter Theatre for a movie and drinks, which was pretty cool. Charlotte isn't a top ten city to visit, but it isn't bad either!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
George Hobica - November 2013:
If you're in Charlotte (CLT) on a layover for a US Air flight across the Atlantic, here's some ideas for things to do between your flights:
Short (1-4 hours): Free wireless, outlets and rocking chairs in the Atrium area of the terminal – where all concourses converge – are the ultimate free chill-out spot; also here is a giant US Airways Club, which you can book in advance for $29 or $50 on the spot. Or, take that money and spend it on wine (North Carolina only) at Yadkin Valley Wine Bar, or BBQ at Brookwood Farms.
Long (4 hours or more): The US National Whitewater Center is a short cab ride ($26, 20 min) away, $5 gets you parking and free access to 20 miles of trails along the Catawba River and a ringside seat to all kinds of action. Prefer the indoors? Taxi over ($26, 15 min) to TEN Park Lanes, a fab bowling alley serving good drinks gourmet southern eats all day, everyday.
Very long (overnight): Uptown is a $25 flat fee cab ride from the airport. Nosh your way through the growing 7th Street Public Market, open every day, check out the Bechtler Museum of Modern Art or the central campus of the Mint Museum, a temple to craft and design. For dinner, hit Dandelion Market, a dark pub that's actually a cool American tapas bar. Overnight at the great-value Hyatt House (from $101).
More info: Read Airfare Watchdog's list of 10 reasons we love CLT.